Jewish baby names

[Vivia]

Hi there

My friend is expecting her first baby and is Jewish - in a cultural rather than actively religious way. To delight her mother and grandmother she wants to use a Jewish name for the baby.

Any suggestions - male or female - that might help her choose?

I have 3 Jewish boys. Aaron, ELye and Saul. All biblical.

I love Rivka, Tsipora, and Zehra, all Yiddish, for girls.

I have a jewish friend with a David. Another with a Gal and a Shy (don't know how they are spelt). Jewish friends I know are Ilana and Yael. Ilana's son is Luca but I don't think that is Jewish!
I am guessing old testament names are ok? eg Noah, Moses etc?

Ruth, Shalom, Abigail,

Aaron, Saul, Jared,

Reuben
Ira

Jake and Isaac

Sarah?

Anything old testament would be Jewish. But if she wants Israeli (modern) rather than biblical how about:

Boys: Shai, Elai, Aron, Eli, Uri, Ari, Ariel, Dov, Ran, Roni, Natan, Matan, Gill, Avi

Girls: Ella, Adi, Maia, Yael, Ronit, Roni, Riki, Dina, Adina, Ellie

There's plenty of lists of jewish baby names online if you want more though

i've always liked Mordecai.

Wonderful, this will all help her - I really love Rivka. Wish I were Jewish...

Ziporah?

My jewish school friends were:

Eleanor, Rebecca, Rachel, Joanna, Shari, Nathalie, Nicola, Deborah, Susan & Jessica

www.behindthename.com/nmc/jew.php

I like Asher and Ezra

Jewish children I know are

Samuel, Jacob, Benjamin, Max, Zachary, Joseph, Joshua, Adam, Daniel, Gabriel so pretty much mainstream but other not too religious names can be names like Avi, Asher, Ilan, Jonah, Cobi

Girls mostly have english names but other names for Jewish but not overtly religious girls are

Talia, Maia, Shira, Meira, Sfira, Rebecca, Rachel, Shoshana, Eliana, Leah,

Probably better to go Israeli style than hardcore jewish as only extremely religious people tend to have the biblical versions names like Mordecai, Avraham, Yitzak, Rivka, Rochel, Penina, Elisheva, Shlomo

Thanks again these are all great.

Talia
Sarah
hannah
adina
elijah
asher

I have a jewish friend whose son is called Gavriel which I have always thought a nice name

DD's half Jewish and we've called her Judith (Yehudit in Hebrew).

I have Moses (Moshe).

Me too, in a cultural rather than religious way. We went for Isaac and it would have been Esther, had he been a she.

My 3 girls have Jewish names totally coincidental on our part they are

Abigail - Hebrew my Fathers Joy
Talia - Hebrew feminine of Tal Dew from Heaven
Bethany - town in Israel and means House of Figs

Google Hebrew and baby names there are some good websites out there

One that I love that I don't think has been mentioned - Akiva for a boy.